Dial transfer knitting needle



y 1954 J. A. JARVIS DIAL TRANSFER KNITTING NEEDLE Filed Feb. 27, 1950 IN V EN; TOR. 811168 A. Jarvl S fem/ A T70RNEY Patented May 4, 1954 rrso STAT TNT OFFICE DIAL TRANSFER KNITTING NEEDLE James A. Jarvis, Murfreesboro, Tenn, assignor to H. D. Hines, Paul J. Kent, and Thos. E. Walker,

This invention relates to an improved dial needle for use in rib-knitting machines and which is capable of automatically and consistently transferring stitch loops from itself to a conventional cylinder needle.

It has heretofore been proposed to provide auxiliary apparatus to expand the stitch loops for transferring the same from dial to cylinder needles. Such apparatus is cumbersome, expensive and complicates operation and design of the knitting machine.

It has also been proposed to add relatively movable pivoted or spring-type loop-expanding fingers to the needles. Such fingers, however, are delicate and tend to break after relatively short periods of use, and also make the needles considerably more costly.

The dial needle of this invention takes ad vantage of the greater space available for each dial needle at the periphery of the dial (as compared with the space for the cylinder needles, which are twice as numerous), and contemplates making those portions of the dial needle behind the shank several times, but at least approximately twice, as thick as the shank and as the tail portions of conventional dial needles, whereby the forward end of the tail portion may be hollowed out to form a cylinder-needle-shank receivin trough, across the mouth and around the outside of which a stitch loop may be stretched open for passage of a cylinder needle in transferring the stitch thereto from the dial needle.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a dial needle, capable of use in conventional knitting machines, for effecting an automatic and consistent transfer of stitches therefrom to a conventional cylinder needle.

It is another object to provide such a needle, which does not require the use of additional loop-expanding bits, fingers, etc.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the detailed description thereof proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts thruout the several figures:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a preferred form of the dial needle;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the needle of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view showing how the needle opens a stitch for transfer thereof to a cylinder needle;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the showing of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the needle of Figs. 1-4; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a modified form of the needle.

With reference now to the drawings, Figs. 1-5 disclose a preferred embodiment'of the needle. The needle has the usual shank I, carrying aconventional hook 3 and a latch 5. Shank I is also of conventional thickness (dimension dl, Figs. 5 and 6). Numeral I designates the tail portion of the needle, which has the-usual butt for engagement with the conventional cams of a dial cam (not shown). The tail portion '5 includes a leaf spring-or presser II by which the tail is firmly held in radial grooves G in a conventional dial D (Figs. 3 and 4). The presser H is united with the tail by small screws I3 (or by rivets or welds) and normally is flexed slightly outwardly, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5 to produce a firm frictional fit in the dial groove G.

A principal point of novelty in the needle disclosed is the enlarged and/or curved stitchopening or -expanding portion I4, which connects the conventional shank Ito the tail 1. A second point of novelty is the greatly increased width of the tail I (and its presser II), Which require the use of much wider grooves in the dial than is conventional, and which make possible the. use of a novel wide stitch-expanding or -opening portion generally designated as It. The tip or rear end of the tail 1 may be thinned or tapered down at I 5 so as to prevent lateral jamming as the tips approach the center of the dial.

The stitch-opening portion [4 is formed by providing a vertically extending trough to receive the conventional cylinder needle 0. This trough may be formed by grinding (as in the modification of Fig. 6) or by both bending and grinding, as in the form of Figs. 1-5. It is also preferable that the trough should be laterally deeper at its lower end so as to add further as-- surance that the cylinder needle C will safely pass the stitch-expandin portion M of the dial needle without damage thereto. Thus, thickness dimension d3 (Figs. 5 and 6) is greater than dd, the former adding strength to the needle and the latter assuring safe passage of the cylinder needle C past the dial needle, thru the trough and thru the stitch loop I9 stretched around the trough portion I4.

The stitch-opening portion I4 is preferably convexed forwardly at I5 to prevent undue and utility-lacking stretching of the loop.

Toward the forward end of the trough-shaped portion [4, a preferably rounded shoulder I1 is formed by vertically narrowing the needle down to usual shank dimensions.

Figs. 1-4 illustrate how the loop [9 of a knitting stitch is opened by the stitch-expanding portion I4 so that a cylinder needle C may pass therethru for transfer of the stitch thereonto.

The dimension d2, as noted above, is about twice that of conventional dial needles. This makes possible the use of a wide stitch-opening portion l4, without the necessity of using collapsible spring-arm expanders, as heretofore proposed.

In the modification of Fig. 6, the presser spring is omitted and the tail base or guide portion thereof is accurately machined to snugly fit the dial grooves. In such a construction the rear part 11) of the tail la is slightly bent to give a spring-like frictional fit in the dial grooves.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A latch dial knitting needle for knitting true ribbed fabric in a conventional knitting machine and in conventional manner, and at a given point in the operation, controlled by said machine, for opening a stitch carried thereon wide enough to allow a conventional cylinder needle to con-- sistently pass thru the opened stitch for its transfer thereunto, said dial needle comprising: a shank portion of conventional construction and thickness; a tail portion adapted for sliding in a dial groove and being of a thickness of the order of several times that of said shank portion; and a stitch-opening portion approximately as wide in over-all width as said tail portion, connecting said shank and tail portions, said stitch-opening portion having ashoulder adjacent its junction with said shank portion and having a transverse trough-shaped recess formed in one lateral face thereof and adapted to receive a cylinder needle passing substantially axially therethru and thru a stitch opened thereby, the loop of said stitch passing transversely across the open face of said recess near its lower end, around said shoulder and then reversely over the surface of said stitch-opening portion opposite the trough-presenting face aforementioned, the thickness of the material of said tail portion being at all points therealong somewhat less than its eiiective dial-groove-spanm'ng dimension, said effective dimension being produced by a slight lateral displacement of a resilient part of said tail portion, whereby said needle is guided by said groove in a manner simulating a snug fit therebetween.

2. A latch dial knitting needle according to claim 1, and in which the trough-shaped recess is deeper at its lower end than at its upper end, whereby a thicker strengthening wall results at the top of said recess and a wider spac for entrance of the cylinder needle results at the bottom thereof.

3. A latch dial knitting needle according to claim 1 and in which the rear end of said tail portion is thinner than the main body part thereof whereby lateral jamming of adjacent tail ends of such needles is obviated when said needles are pulled deeply into the dial during non-use.

4. A latch dial knitting needle according to claim 1 and in which said resilient part of said tail comprises a spring arm on one side of and forming a part of said tail portion, whereby its groove-filling width is increased and whereby it is adapted for firm frictional fitting of a dial groove without the necessity of precision grinding.

5. A latch dial knitting needle according to claim 1 and in which said stitch-expanding portion has a rounded forward surface opposite and partly surrounding said trough-shaped recess, whereby the stitch is not stretched more than is necessary for passage of the cylinder needle therethru.

6. A latch dial knitting needle according to claim 1 and in which said resilient part of said tail portion is its relatively thinner rear section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 5r8,428 Sturgess Mar. 9, 1897 885,150 Foster Apr. 2 1908 2,111,476 McAdams Mar. 15, 1938 2,146,079 Kunzmann Feb. '7, 1939 2,240,761 Cloutier May 6, 1941 

